04 February 2005
Edinburgh residents are due to start voting next week on whether the Scottish capital will become the second city in Britain to introduce congestion charging.
After a controversial and often acrimonious public debate, the Labour-controlled City of Edinburgh Council is hoping it will receive sufficient backing from the postal ballot to press ahead with the plan.
The referendum is expected to proceed despite a court hearing due to begin on February 3, just four days before the issuing of ballot papers on February 7.
The neighbouring councils of Fife, West Lothian and Midlothian have petitioned the Court of Session for a judicial review of the plans, arguing that exemption proposals for people in certain areas of Edinburgh are unfair.
Residents will have 14 days to return their ballot forms to the council. The closing date will be February 21 and the outcome will be announced the following day.
The council has proposed two cordons for charging: an inner cordon operating from 7am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday and an outer cordon operating from 7–10am Monday to Friday.
The council has calculated that congestion charging would generate £760m over 20 years, which could be used only for transport improvements. Of this figure, about £350m would be available for neighbouring authorities.
The vote to follow London's example is being keenly watched by other authorities considering such schemes. On a recent visit to Edinburgh, the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, claimed that a no vote would blow a hole through the government's transport strategy and stop similar schemes for other cities.
Transport convener Andrew Burns told Public Finance that, while the plans had been intensely controversial, he was confident that once people received their ballot papers and read the information they would consider the long-term advantages and vote yes.
Of the planned court action, he added: 'I have made it absolutely clear since the [court] petition was raised that we are not going to be blown off course by precipitate legal action by neighbouring local authorities.'
The authorities argue that the plans are unfair because their residents would have to pay tolls, while drivers living in rural west Edinburgh would be exempt from paying to cross the outer cordon.
PFfeb2005
